We're back with another low-cost tablet, the $180 RAMOS MID W9
(also distributed in the U.S. by FocalPrice.com). Follow along as we take a peek at the hardware inside this sub-$200 tablet.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

As of this writing, FocalPrice lists the RAMOS MID W9 at $179.90 (US) with free shipping. The device has a 7-inch TFT-LCD (800x480 resolution) with resistive touchscreen, HDMI output, and runs Android 2.1. Inside the W9, you'll find a Rockchip 2818 processor (which can operate at up to 640 MHz), 8GB of NAND flash storage, and 2GB system memory. It also supports Wi-Fi and 3G.

Note: Several of the technical specifications listed on FocalPrice's website appear to be mislabeled. For example, the company reports that the W9's "Max RAM Support" is 32G and the "Hard Drive Capacity" is 2G. Neither of these values make sense. When most new laptops come with 4GB of RAM, I doubt a low-cost tablet is getting 32GB of RAM. Furthermore, I would expect even a sub-$200 tablet like the W9 to have more than 2GB of storage. After looking at the chips, I believe the W9 we tested actually has 2GB of system memory (RAM) and 8GB of storage.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

The RAMOS MID W9 comes with a USB cable, a set of earphones, a connecting cable (not sure what this is for), and product documentation (written in Chinese).

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

There are no physical buttons along the front of the RAMOS MID W9.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Using a thin metal blad and plastic spudger, I detached the RAMOS MID W9's metal rim.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Thin metal edging surrounds the RAMOS MID W9's LCD. It is held in place with adhesive and covers several screws. I removed the edging with a thin metal blade.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Using a Phillips #000 screwdriver, I removed the screws that hold the touchscreen assembly's plastic bezel in place.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

With the screws removed, I used a thin metal blade to pop loose the plastic bezel.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

With the plastic bezel removed, we can lift the touchscreen display assembly up from the main PCB and case.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

The RAMOS MID W9's battery takes up a significant portion of the case inside the case.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

The RAMOS MID W9's battery is soldered to the main PCB. There are limited markings on this battery, but it appears to be an AE5258118P 3750mAh battery.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Several Phillips #000 screws hold the RAMOS MID W9's main PCB to the white plastic case.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

The RAMOS MID W9's LCD uses a removable ribbon cable, but the touchscreen's cable is soldered to the main PCB.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublicCaption by: Bill Detwiler

The RAMOS MID W9 has two Hynix H27UBG8T2ATR NAND Flash chips. I believe each of these chips provides 4GB of storage--giving the device a total storage capacity of 8GB.

Bill Detwiler is Managing Editor for ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic Pro and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. He was most recently Head Technology Editor for TechRepublic. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager and desktop support technician in the social research and energy i...
Full Bio